Monday, May 25, 2009

Before I ramble on and on about why I have been slacking on the blog posts this week, let me just list out what went on last week, okies?

Was in Cherating for work last Thursday and Friday. Decided to bring the troop along. Azrul got off from work and the kids skipped school. (Takpelah, after all lagi seminggu term break, maa) Khaleeda and Bibik Parmi joined in too. We were in the family room the first night and then took 2 adjoining rooms for the rest of the stay. Work was tiring. We didn't finish till it was 7pm so, the kids' entertainment was left to Azrul. There were trips to the pool, the beach, the activity room, the game room (they had the old school arcade games as well - fighting game ala-ala Street Fighter, Puzzle Bobble, etc).. So, they pretty much had their time occupied. I think they had fun since they weren't complaining when I finally get to the room. :) (will upload the pix tonight when I get to fiddle with hubster's lappie - UPDATED! 1 June 2009)

Family do on both weekend nights. Mak Anjang's getting her two boys circumcized this Friday and had a little makan-makan last Saturday night. We just got back from Cherating (see item no 1 above) and only managed to join after they finished the doa selamat. *sibuk qada' tidur* The next night was a Kenduri Arwah for Ayah Teh pulak. Our nights were filled with good food *which would eventually result in item5* , good conversation and good times with the family.

Spent a good portion of Sunday just with hubster. Brekkie at Chawan's with Os (apparently hubster bumped into Sujay & Poh Imm later) , made a run to Ikea to get the hanging thingy for the kids' wardrobe but still no stock, lunch at Waroeng Ayam Penyet @ The Curve and a good 1.5 hours Thai massage. Ahhhh.. soooooo sakit, but oh soooo sedap.. Must remember to "Lilek, na... Lilek.." as the therapist tried to pull me, stretch me, push me and stand on me.. Must seriously think about getting the package,lah. Think I am gonna need them.

Brought the kids down for a little swim. All three of them. Khadra and Khaleeq have always loved the pool. (Need to remember to get them enrolled in a proper swim class though.) Am also proud to report that little Khaleeda is able to be independent now. She flaps her arm floaties and licks up some chlorine water every once in a while. The wading pool is just the right size for her to go waddling around on her own, all around the pool without having mommy to get wet in the process. Yeay!

All the food before sleepytime and the seriously hot weather last night resulted to a very uncomfortable night's sleep. I think I was literally sleeping in my sweat! Sheesh.. So gross.. As a result, gassy tummy and sweaty smelly body greets my morning. What a way to start the week..

Monday, May 18, 2009

Was watching the Biggest Loser Season 4 Finale last night. In fact, I have been following the show for quite sometime now, instead of my usual Sunday night doses of CSIs. We are a little behind since the United States are already onto their 6th Season. Typical Asian lag, lah. Here's the NBC's The Biggest Loser official website for their latest updates. No matter, lah.. Just glad to see a reality show that has fewer manipulation and politics and even though they vote out one person every week; everyone ends up to be a winner in the end.. :)

Aaaaanyways, here are the casts for Season 4:

Each one of them had their own motivations and drive to finally take their life into their own hand and make a change. Some were just tired of being too inactive, too sick, too ashamed or too *insert feeling here* . Some had a close family/friend/relative who died at too young an age due to obesity. Some just wanted to be there and live longer for their kid(s). Whatever their reason, they were just 18 of the ordinary Jacks, Joes and Janes that got a chance to be on the Biggest Loser campus.

At the start of the season the casts were divided into 3 teams, The Reds, Blues and Blacks. The Blacks were actually the outcasts or rejects who were not picked and were left in the desert to train for the first two (?, I think) weeks. When the Blacks finally join the campus, they were really back with a vengence. I personally think their trainer could get through to them better than that Red one too. Tah pahapa emo tak pasal minah tu.. In the end, the final four left standing were ALL from the Black team. Talk about determination and focus!

How does it work, you asked? The casts were taught about nutrition, eating healthy, counting calories, shopping for healthy food, exercising etc in The Biggest Loser campus and every week there will be a challenge for rewards up for grabs.

The challenges could sometimes be physical like for example;

- Going up a few flights of the stairs to light up a multiple storey building level by level. The first team to light up all the levels would win.

Or mental ;

- Going into a room full of delicacies with each of their calories tagged to the plate. They were given 4 minutes in the CCTV-wired room alone with the scrumptious food. The catch was, the one who gobbled up the most calories will be given a 3lb. pass at the weigh-in. here comes the moral dilemma on whether to eat for the free lb. pass or to practice what you have learnt and resist the temptations... Very scheming, kan?

At the end of the week there will be a weighing-in session whereby the team with the lowest % loss will have to eliminate one member. One by one will be voted out until only 4 is left. Nampak macam senang kan? Not!!! You can really see them break walls when it comes to their last chance to work out before the weigh in. They were pushed to their limit. Some cried , some perservered, some vomitted, some gave in.. So much drama, so much drama.. Can't believe watching people work out could be so much fun! hihihihihihihi One minah ni, even asked to switch trainer in the middle 'coz she tak tahan already.. (Yes, trainer dia adalah minah emo Red team tu lah)

It does not end for the eliminated ones, however, since there are actually 2 grand prizes on offer. The 'At home challenge' promised the person with the most body weight percentage loss from their first day weigh-in a cash prize of USD100,000.00. And the winner was...

Gila, tak? Crazy amazing AND crazy psycho, right? Just look at those numbers!! He lost 186lbs. Can not imagine? Letme convert it to kilograms for those of you unfamiliar with the Imperial scheme. 186lbs equals to 84.37kg according to Encik Google. 84 kg? OMG!!! That is me plus Khadra. He managed to lose the both of us over a period of 8 months. It calculates to 51.52% of weight loss. Like, crazy, kan?

Jim Germanakos was eliminated on Week 5 and by then he had only (did I just say only? *sheesh*) lost 54lbs. The other 132lbs. were lost at home. i.e. with the day-to-day temptations of bad food, no time to work out etc and still he managed to do it.. That just means that:

-he was able to do it in real life

-he was able to change how he lived

-he was pretty damned determined to win that night

Isn't that so inspirational?

The other grand prize was USD 250,000.00 for the final four. And it was a double joy for Jim since his twin bother , Bill Germanakos won it! He lost 164lbs. from his initial weight of 334lbs., making a percentage body weight loss of 49.10%. His final weigh in was 170lbs. They even took out his pants of size 52 and he could practically hide behind it. The man now wears a size 32 pants! Really amazing..

Double joy! Double celebrations for the twins and their family. Check them out on their official website here; Weight Loss Twins!

This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization. There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.

Very touching inde film. I have seen this link posted by a few people in FB as well. Makes you think about that extra scoop of rice you took during breakfast / lunch / dinner and was not able to finish. Makes you think where will that extra piece of chicken meat go if you don't finish them. Makes you really think how could they be so happy when they are actually eating leftovers - not even leftovers, you know.. It's more like sisa-sisa that you'd give to your pet cat. Really sad and kesian, kan? I think I'd need to show this to my Khadra and Khaleeq to knock some sense and realization to them. Remind me, will you, hubs?

It is the story of Ms. Susan Boyle - a going to 48 year old spinster with a magical soulful voice. She is contestant number 43212 in the current Britain's Got Talent. In the pre-performance interview with Ant & Dec, she confessed that, "At the moment, I live alone with my cat, Pebbles. But, I've never been married. never been kissed. Aaahh.. Shamed.." and she added "But, that's not an advert!"

When she first strutted her stuff onto the stage, she was stuttering, even looked like she was a little slow when she answered the judges. She swivelled her hips when Simon asked her how old she was. "I am 47. And that's just one side of me" Note the judges' rolling eyes and disapproving looks. When she proclaimed that she wanted to be a professional singer - two female audiences at minute 1:24 through 1:26 was going "Yeah right?", "What the hell are you doing here?" , "Are you sure you want to sing?", "Hrm?" - complete with the "Can you actually believe that?"-look.

Before she even opened her mouth, I could see that some people in the audience and the female judge were secretly hoping , "Please, please.. let this one be able to actually sing." Oh, and sing she really can. :) Watch her on Youtube here. You'll understand what I mean. :)

Good on you, Susan. It just tells you to go for your dream, no matter how ridiculous it seems to others. I also especially like the article by The Guardian's Tanya Gold. She gave an even more detailed breakdown of what went on that night. I guess, I wouldn't go as far as saying that she is ugly. But, there is some truth to what Tanya wrote. Female are expected to be beautiful and smart and all that. If you are dog-ugly, then there is no hope for you. You are not expected to do well, nor is there even a slight possibility that you could have a remarkable talent. Most unlikely! There is no reason what-so-ever that anyone should envy you. Why is that so, really? Why don't we have these issues if it was an ugly man standing on Britain's Got Talent stage, instead? (Case in point, that Potts guy who went on to win the show!)

The video-documentary is about Eliot Hartman Mooney, born on July 20th, 2006 with Trisomy 18 a.k.a. Edwards syndrome. It is a condition whereby there is a presence of an extra 18th cromosome in the baby's DNA. One should also know that this is the second most common trisomy, after Trisomy 21 a.k.a. Down syndrome, occuring in about 1:5000 to 1:8000 births. Unfortunately, Edwards Syndrome is usually fatal, with most of the babies dying before birth and even those who do make it to birth typically only lives for a few days. A small number of babies (<10%)>

Every day is celebrated , every day is God's gift for them to be one more day with their beloved son. It was inspiring to see how they coped with the cards that was dealt for them. It was also way too easy for them not to have felt the gratitude. To blame fate and their miserable fortune. To be bitter at life and God. To be angry. I am just plain amazed by their strength and their faith. How great to see 99 balloons were released on the day of his funeral to mark his 99 days he graced Earth.

Now, who said that blog-hopping was a waste of time? Didn't you learn a thing or two today?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

I had the McValue lunch , this week. In fact, I just had them yesterday, on Monday, 11th May 2009. This week's chronicle started at about 11am, when my tummy started grumbling due to my lack of morning nutrients. I totally forgot to have breakfast that morning and I went around the office to see if I could get any willing bodies to accompany me to McD for the McValue Lunch.

First candidate: Adeeb.

She was all for McValue lunch but unfortunately, she was way too busy and caught up with work that she could not spare the time to go out for lunch. Asking her to accompany me would not have been a good idea. She did raise a good point though -- McDelivery! Just call 1-300-13-1300 and McValue lunch will come to us. Her order? Spicy Chicken McDeluxe. RM7.95 from RM10.45. A savings of RM2.50.

Walkabout. Walkabout.Walkabout.

I found 2 willing bodies to be my accomplices. Deliena and Liana. Fellow bloggers with empty tummies. Luck? Not likely. More like hunger reaching out. hihihihi. We got into my car and headed to McDonald's Jalan Telawi, Bangsar. On the way, made a call to Linda , who was in a client's office. She also ordered the Spicy Chicken McDeluxe set. Other orders include another Spicy Chicken McDeluxe and one Big Mac set. Liana wanted to have Double Cheese Burger and a chocolate sundae. (Did you notice that the Double Cheese Burger and the McNuggets are no longer part of the McValue Lunch? Well, they aren't.. There's 4 sets left now - Spicy Chicken McDeluxe, Big Mac @ RM7.95 and McChicken, Filet-o-Fish @ RM5.95) Back in the office, we devoured our lunch and took some pictures too.

I had the McValue lunch two weeks back, too.. On a Wednesday , 29th April 2009 to be exact. I was parked outside, so I needed an excuse to 'relocate' my car into the parking inside the building. What better excuse than to have McValue Lunch at McDonald's? The time was right. We left the office and was at McDonald's Section 14, Petaling Jaya between 12:00pm to 3:00pm. One person was left to mend the car whilst the other two went in to queue and place our orders. One set of Big Mac and two sets of Spicy Chicken McDeluxe. Service was fast and efficient (as always) and before we could say "Have you McValue lunch-ed this week?" one hundred times, we were already in the car, on our way back to the office. We McValue lunch-ed in the car, whilst waiting in queue to park. The ambience was just nice; it was drizzling outside, with good company and good food.. Time to eat and gossip.. ;)

p/s: If you are a blogger, try this - McDonald's Have you McValue lunch-ed this week contest. The grand prize is an Apple iPhone 3G with a Maxis call plan for 6-months. Not too shabby, eh? Try it, who knows you might even win it!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Wherever you go last Sunday, it was impossible to ignore that it was Mother's day. The reminders were everywhere, in shopping malls especially. Mom's Day special this, Mother's Day special that. Buy a customized Mother's Day cake and get a handbag for free, or something like that..

Anyhoots, my little family and I went over to Bangsar Village to have lunch at Nando's whilst the little ones enjoyed themselves at the small play area - very convenient for parents who needed to stuff some nutrition down their throat. We actually promised that we would take them to Kiz Sports for some playtime. (Yes, Khaleeda included) So, off we went to Bangsar Village 2 and the kids played their merry way for a good while. I was just following Khaleeda around since the other two were already big enough to be playing independently. Hubby left us for a bit to attend to a business meet at Chawan's. So, it was just me and the kids.. Chilling, or so it seems.. hihihihi

After about half an hour into playtime, some people were getting thirsty and needed drinks. Time-out! We got 2 Capri-Sons Apple drinks for Khadra and Khaleeq and a bottle of mineral water (with a straw) at room temperature for Khaleeda. On our way to the dining area, we came across those coin-operated trinket machines and the big ones demanded a toy each. Okay, after drinks, we'll get some. Fair enough, right? Okay for Kakak but not so okay for Khaleeq. He went on his standard "It's not fair" rage and ran off to let off steam. Khadra and Khaleeda had some drinks and in no time we were back at the trinket machine again. By now, Khaleeq has cooled down and standing by the machine to get his rubber ball. (Thing about Khaleeq is that it takes him such a short time to be back to his happy self) One happy camper and went running back into the play zone. Khadra was not so happy coz the trinket she got was a Boy's toy. She was starting to cry without any voice , body all slumped to the side wall and ended up on the floor. Aduss.. Seorang lagi merajuk...

At about 1600hrs, our second obstacle emerged itself in the form of a gun-shaped balloon. It could be nicely summed up by my twitter statuses yesterday. Iya, walaupun busy menangani masalah, masih sempat tweet-ing! (Sila baca dari bawah ya)

dillazaghad to say Sayonara to the balloon at 1645 hours. You have been our source of joy, tears and fun for the past 45 minutes. Thank you.4:47 PM May 10thfrom mobile web

All that drama.... Haiya... Nasib baik la not too long after, Azrul came up to get us to our next pit stop. By then, meltdown was successfully mitigated, Khaleeda was already sound asleep and the troop made our way for ice cream at Baskin Robbins!!! :)

Yes, they may be a little handful at times.. Could blardy well drive you up the wall, even. hihihihi..

But it's when they present you with thoughtful little did-it-myself certificate and artsy craft, your heart melts. You feel that it was worth the while and you must be doing something right. It's when your little one sings and dance for you. You feel your heart swells with pride, all your wearies and problems disappear and you just want to be in that moment forever..

I'm gonna need this image perpetually etched in my mind, especially when they drive me up the wall again. hihihihi...

Happy Mother's day, ibu.. It's so tough being a mommy. I don't know how you did it with the 7 of us. I love you dearly..

Updated: Just finished reading my previous posting on Mother's day 2007 - so sweet lah Khadra. Really need to save this image in my mind. I keep losing it more and more these days.. *chants to self - These kids are not monsters.. They are actually sweet, thoughtful children..*

Friday, May 08, 2009

Went to watch the Star Trek movie midnight last night with the hubster. Bestnya!!!! Seriously. I am not kidding you. Please do yourself a favour and go watch it this weekend! Go, go, go watch it.. You'll not regret it.. Oh, btw, if you want the whole plot you can get it here!

Truthfully, I was never a Trekkie. But that's just it.. Anybody who doesn't know an iota of knowledge about Star Trek can really enjoy the film. Cuba sahaja tengok kehenseman Christopher Whitelaw Pine yang walaupun tak nampak familiar tapi masih meruntun jiwa. And Sylar as Spock - that's such coolness!! Sangat secocok! And they strike a very similar resemblance to the original Spock and Kirk, don't you think? (Sila lihat dibawah)

What I liked about the movie? **Caution: Don't read if you don't want a spoiler..**

Sangat fast paced - didn't get a chance to be bored or even yawned. Even though it was an 11:55pm viewing and it didn't finish until it was 2:10am. The fighting action was comprehensible, I don't feel overwhelmed by the special effects. It looked soooo natural.. (Sorry, ya.. Saya tertidur dengan nyenyaknya during the viewing of Transformers last time. )

The casts were awesome. I especially welcomed hunky Eric Bana as Captain Nero, the Romulan baddie, Harold from "Harold & Kumar"-fame as Sulu, can I mention the awesome twosome Kirk and Spock again?, there's even Winona Ryder as Spock's human mom.

There's also comedy - a lot of subtle comedy.. I love that 17-year old Russian genius who handled the Public Announcements. He even muddled up the voice pasword thingy --> Wictor-Wictor... hahahahaha..

The old Spock has a major role too.. Definitely made more than a cameo, the great Leonard Nimoy did.. Loved it when he said, "I am NOT our fathers" to younger Spock. But, I just can't keep my eyes from his jaw area. Terganggu fokusku kerana melihat pergerakan gigi palsunya.. hihihihihiihi

The hero is not the typical goody-goody kind of hero. He is a rebel and he rocks my world!! hihihihihi

It's a new beginning. Forget what you know about the old Star Trek and the legacy left by William Shatner and the gang. It is the ultimate way to chart their own journey and a whole load of new adventures.. A whole new possibilities of sequels and series.. Me likey..

Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Aah.... can't wait for the continuation of this. Ada series tak? Will this finally turn me into a Trekkie? Beam me up, Scotty. ;)

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Couldn't stay away for too long. Told you I would make a cameo. Yes, my plate is still very full but I had to find some time to post this, even though it is currently at 3:59 in the morning. *I am up to do up my report. Sad, innit?*

Anyhoots, this was shared by a few good single friends who just came back from one of their travels - this time it was from the island of Sumatera. They were off gallivanting to Padang, Bukit Tinggi dan kawasan-kawasan yang sewaktu dengannya. Apparently, ini lagu paling ngetop di Indo sekarang...

Amacam, ada best? Kinda has a catchy tune, eh? Could blardy well give the new millionaire Tomok @ Shah Indrawan a run for his new single, me thinks.. hihihihi *I love the new Tomok brand, btw- i voted for him!*

And now, on to the commentary:

Thing is, if you try to disect the lyrics, it's so typical of our culture, innit? Okay, since my plates are still full, I shall only comment on the following two verses, ok?

Like sedih tak? Why should you be embarrased for being single? Isn't life grand, as it is?And wouldn't jodoh come when it is time? Ngapa nak malu, weh????

For example, these two man(s) I was talking about. They are a pair of 30+ year-old single guys who have a job that pay them good money. They have all the freedom to leave and gallavant around the world *USof A, Thailand, Indonesia, Europe, among others* with no ties, no strings and no restrictions to do whatever the hell they want. No kids' school, logistics, homework, wellbeing, tantrums to think about should you suddenly decide to go off to have a week's holiday in Krabi, for example. All the extra cash that doesn't go to their monthly tuition fees *Oh, don't get me started on their schooling fees* The not having to worry about what your other half would think, his feelings, his makan, minum, etc. Just to care about you, and you alone. I mean don't get me wrong.. Married life is great. But, getting married is not the end-all. With your partner for life and children, also comes great work and great responsibilities *I mean, you can not just decide one day that you are sick and tired of your children and return them for your money back - there's no money back guarantee, dude* I am just saying that being single has its perks too..

Ni lagi satu.. Kita ni (can I please be general here and mean the masyarakat) mesti nak sibuk nak match make kan orang kalau tau dia single. And I am not just talking about the makcik-makcik at kenduris here. I know for a fact that my single friends loathe (yes, loathe is a mighty strong word. And I mean it!) to go to kenduris for fear of the 20-questions from the busy-body makciks.. Thing is, I can also be one of the makciks sometimes. *Sorry.. Aku tak sengaja* It's like it's already ingrained in our head that everybody wants to get married, needs to be married and has to stay married. And we shall not rest until everyone is. Mengapakah? I know perfectly happy people who are not married. Single, loaded people... Think about that..

P/S: This entry is especially dedicated to the two somewhat good looking, single man(s) who shared with me the song.

Popular Posts

Hey there!!! Been a long, long while, hasn't it? Well, let me keep you updated with the family status right now. Me - currentl...

my.followers

Disclaimer:

The views expressed on this website are mine alone and do not reflect the views of my employer. Actually, scratch that. Now that I am a full-time homemaker, I am my own employer, so yeah, my views DO reflect the views of my employer, ME. kikikiki